Emmy Dream Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2012-2013)

Much like the year without a Santa Clause, this is the first year without a supporting actor from Modern Family.  Modern Family is still a solid show, but the show and its actors have hit a plateau, Phil is still the goofy dad, Mitch and Cam still have some of the best quips, and Jay remains old and cranky.

While none of those men made my final list this was the toughest comedy category to narrow down this year.  I could have had ten nominees in this category, proving that even though it may be a tough job constantly supporting these men are up to the task time and time again!

Will Arnett as Gob Bluth in Arrested Development

The MVP of Development's return on Netflix.  Both of the Gob episodes were some of the funniest television episodes I have seen all year, and while the writing had a lot to do with that funny, Arnett deserves a lot of credit.  Arnett has starred, and guest starred in numerous roles in a post Development on Fox, pre-Netflix era, and while Devon Banks (30 Rock) was a great character, nothing comes close to Arnett's portrayal of Gob.  Watching him pretend to be gay, while actually maybe being gay with Ben Stiller proved to be comic genius.  His magic trick to get out of his wedding to Ann rocked too.  Arnett is great and he deserves a nomination.

Max Greenfield as Ted Schmidt New Girl

Watching Schmidt fight for CeCe, and find himself more and more this year was a great acting achievement for Max Greenfield.  Schmidt needed to go back to his roots with Elizabeth (Merrit Wever) find himself and no longer cling to what he thought made him desirable to women.  There were of course other moments earlier on where he realized he need to have feelings for someone in order to have hot sex again, which was hilarious to watch Schmidt realize how feelings make sex even better.  Greenfield is great at this role, and this season showed more growth in Schmidt, making him a richer, and even funnier character,  Greenfield is a rock star at playing this bro!

Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory

Howard in spaaaaace! Loved watching Howard journey through the depths of space being teased, dealing with his paranoia, and then of course being a newlywed and potentially moving out of his mother's house.  Helberg has grown well as an actor, and given further depth to this character throughout the years, watching him interact with his father-in-law who only answers things in short sentences is priceless. Helberg is great in this role, and after six seasons finally deserves a place on this list as one of the funniest supporting actors in television.

Alex Karpovsky as Ray Plonshansky in Girls

On a show centered around, well let's say, girls without any digs about how shallow and self absorbed they, oh wait whoops, Ray is one of the most interesting characters on the show.  At the beginning of season Shoshanna was dealing with Ray's inability to commit, and Ray dealt with his own hang ups. Karpovsky's Ray soon comitted and became the man Shossanna wanted, delving into the relationship world.  Karpovsky was brilliant as Ray this season adding a little more depth to his sarcasm from season one.  While most people focused on Hannah's ex Adam, Ray was the boy in this show who provided the most heart and laughs this season.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation

As Ron meets Diane, there was an instant shine that was added to his character, unlike all the Tammy's Diane was sane, had children, and Ron soon became Ron with a little added care.  As much as Ron could give, with his regular Libertarianism. Watching Ron attempt to help baby sit Diane's two young girls was hilarious, and will provide great context for Ron as a father next season.  Ron's level as protector to Leslie was also upped, especially when he punched Councilmen Jamm who was breaking up Leslie's wedding.  While some will argue a lack of growth in Ron, I see this season as a year of development with one of the greatest Libertarians of all time.

Damon Wayans Jr. as Brad Williams in Happy Endings

Another sad write-up, as Happy Endings has been cancelled.  Brad's character blends the confidence of a great man and the comfort of being able to be stay at home husband with ease, well almost.  Brad was fired from his job at the end of season two, and throughout this season he was a stay at home husband, a hilarious "trophy wife," working at a children's birthday party funplex, amping up Bar Mitzvahs, and then eventually back to business world.  Brad is on funny guy, and I loved getting to watch Damon Wayans Jr. tackle this more fleshed out character, which unlike anyone makes you laugh more than anyone before.  He was the glue to this cast, and this character will be missed.

Runners Up: Mike White-Enlightened, Ty Burrel-Modern Family

The Kings of Summer is an Fun Flick Avoiding the World of the Summer Explosions and Exploring the Angst of Adolescence

 The Kings of Summer (3 1/2 Stars Out of 5 Stars)

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts 

Written by: Chris Galleta 

Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, and Megan Mullaly

As a teenager, my parents frustrated me all of the time.  I used to remember being a social outcast, teased, and sometimes tormented by other students, but never wanting to talk about that with my parents.  My dad would always come home from work asking "How was your day?"  I remember how annoyed I would get by this question, I just wanted alone time, and did not want to talk about how bad my day was.  This film captures that moment in time where the disconnect between parent and child is greatest, and you want to runaway and escape.

Summer follows three young boys who make a home for themselves in the woods when they runaway from their homes. Two of kids have been best friends for years Joe (Robinson) and Patrick (Basso), and they end up randomly getting a tag a long Biaggio (Arias) whose quirks are just hilarious.  Joe and his dad Frank (Offerman) are constantly at war, there disconnect happened when Joe's mom passed away.  Meanwhile Patrick's parents including Megan Mullaly give him hives.  When comes to shove these two kids get pushed too far, and they decide to escape to the woods, and make their own house, along with Biaggio.

For their both Vogt-Roberts and Galleta's first major film they achieve something incredibly humorous and heartfelt.  This film has an element missing from many films today, that intangible element which makes you laugh, but care about the characters and their development.  There are times when the emotional weight and connections are too thin, and the laughs are too quirky, but not ever enough to ruin this film.  Galleta's script does a great job exploring the concept of family, being a man, and that everlasting bond of friendship at such a young age.

Friendship and adulthood are key elements to this script.  Joe wants to be seen as a man so he can be on his own, but all he really wants is the love of the parent he lost; he thinks he knows what it means to be an adult, but soon discovers adulthood can be a lonely place.  Joe's friendship with Patrick and Biaggio help delve into the way friendships grow and develop as well proving that there is more than just playing fort.  The films script is not all about the serious, in fact its quite clever and one incredibly funny film. Vogt-Robert's direction brings out the best in the script, fleshing out the humor and getting some great performances on the screen.

For such a small film this cast is fantastic, with not only Nick Offerman and Megan Mullaly, but Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Alison Brie.  These four actors along with the three young male leads round out an incredible ensemble.  I will say one of the problems with the script is that while you are supposed to hate and grow to love Offerman's Frank you never hate him, because he is hilarious and just too damn funny.  Of the adults, he is the best.  Nick Robinson is a star on the rise he played Joey with so much angst, heart and vulnerability it was one of the best performances I have seen so far this year.  Watching Joe grow throughout the film provides you with a deeper richer meaning when you think about your own maturation, and the girl who broke your heart, or when you started to get your parents.

While the script and the and acting elements standout, the technical aspects of this film bring everything together.  Ross Riege's lensing helps capture the beauty and stark reality of the nature the boys call home.  Films like this are rarely given credit for the technical aspects, but this film knows how to not only place you in the environment but within a young boys mind.  The fractured (intentional) editing helps make you feel as though you are looking at things like you are a 15 year old boy, especially the Super Nintendo referenced scenes cutting back and forth between the real world, and the video game influence. 

At the end of the day the cast shines, the film is beautifully shot, and this is a fun film.  Together all these elements make for a special experience providing a summer escape from the explosions, allowing audiences to commune with nature, nature, laugh, and remember just how tough it was to be a teenager again.  This was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had at the movies all year.

Emmy Dream Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Now moving on to the Comedy categories, after being away for so long it's time to put out my dream ballot for the Comedy categories.  As the Emmy Awards nominations come closer and closer I am more and more excited about this year's nominations.  Although my dream ballot in the drama categories may find some similarity the comedy categories will remain more stagnant like they typically do.  Here are my dream supporting actor candidates.

Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy in Modern Family- Phil is still the funniest, and best part of this show.  Whether we were watching him try and walk a tight rope, or finding out that his daughter had lost her v-card, and trying to help his son navigate the women's periods.  Ty Burrell is great, and this role was made for him.  Even three seasons later the character continues to evolve and find ways to make that awkward dad humor just great.

Max Greenfield as Ted Schmidt in New Girl-What can I say about Schmidt that you may not already know?  Well if you do not watch the show Schmidt is is pretty damn hilarious; he primps and has OCD, he thinks he is a ladies man, and while he is hot, he often does not clean up the way you would think.  Schmidt's story about sneaking around and sleeping with CeCe not only moved audiences, but made for some hilarious moments.

Ed O'Neil as Jay Pritchett in Modern Family-Jay was my second favorite male on the series this season.  I love watching the evolution of this character, yes he is a little old fashioned still, but his straight forward brand of humor remains to keep the show on point.  Watching Jay dance with Lily at her dance recital, moved me and showed me that this character had evolved.  Watching him jump in the pool after his dog which made it seem he like her more than his wife made me belly laugh.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation-He's Ron fucking Swanson, one of the best, most original characters to grace television comedies.  Nick Offerman's timing and dry character representation make him one of the funniest men working in television.  Whether Ron is having to navigate the different Tammy's in his life, try and keep his scout troop in tune with nature, or helping Leslie campaign this character is one of a kind.

Jim Rash as Dean Pelton in Community-This is the year of Jim Rash; he won an Oscar for his solid screenplay for the film The Descendants, and his character got a lot more story line, and brought his character to a whole new level.  Dean Pelton tricked Jeff Winger into a lunch date, which was hilarious, but the best episode was when he attempted to try and direct Greendale College's commercial, and hoped for Luis Guzman to show.  Rash may not be one of the Greendale 7, but his presence on the show was essential, and hilarious this season.

Damon Wayans Jr. as Brad Williams in Happy Endings-The entire sequence where Brad goes to the dentist in the episode "The St. Valentine's Day Maxacre" is the reason Damon Wayans deserves to be nominated this year.  Wayans like his father has great comedic timing and balances this with physical comedy.  As Wayans dances his way to the dentists chair, finding out his always perfect teeth are no longer perfect, he soon becomes drugged up, and laughingly calls all of his friends by their parallel Friends characters.  Great performance, in an under rated show.